Gattis hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs, Carlos Correa returned from a four-game absence and homered on the first pitch he saw, and the Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 6-3 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight win.

Gattis has seven homers and 20 RBIs over his last 14 games.

”It’s been good for the last month,” he said. ”It’s easy to lose sight of that when you have a couple games where it’s like 1 for 8 or 9 or something like that the last couple games in Texas. It’s good to kind of sustain it a little bit.”

Lance McCullers Jr. (8-3) struck out five over seven strong innings, allowing two runs and five hits while winning a second straight decision. He surrendered Stephen Piscotty’s sacrifice fly in the second and then kept Oakland’s powerful order in check.

Correa was back in the lineup at shortstop after missing a series sweep at Texas with soreness in his right side after leaving last Wednesday’s game against the Mariners following an at-bat in the seventh inning.

Oakland scored on a wild pitch in the first before the Astros answered against Daniel Mengden (6-6). Correa homered leading off the second. Gattis hit his 11th homer three batters later, and then chased Mengden with a two-run double with two outs in the fifth.

Matt Chapman hit three doubles before being hit by a pitch in the left hand in the eighth by Collin McHugh. X-rays were negative. Chapman’s three doubles matched the Oakland single-game record, done for the 28th time and first since Matt Joyce last Sept. 27.

”He’s using the whole field, seeing the ball early. Earlier in the season he was similar to this but right now I think he’s seeing the ball as well as he has all year,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. ”You’re seeing that the last few games.”

Ken Giles finished for his 11th save in 11 tries as the World Series champions moved to 6-1 so far this season against the A’s.

Both teams left the bases loaded in the fourth.

Mengden was charged with six runs and eight hits.

BIG-TIME PARADE

The A’s had some fun with the NBA Golden State Warriors’ victory parade through downtown Oakland on Tuesday.

”We’re back after a day off and Oakland even had a parade to celebrate us returning,” the A’s posted on Twitter.

SPECIAL NOD

Hinch is making a special addition to his All-Star coaching staff for next month’s game in Washington: Retired Astros first base coach Rich Dauer will be in uniform and assisting Hinch.

Dauer played for the Baltimore Orioles from 1976-85, winning a World Series in 1983. Dauer was hired by the Astros after the 2014 season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: There’s no structural issue with RHP Joe Smith’s sore elbow that put him on the disabled list last week. Smith saw a couple of different doctors and for now it’s just going to take time to let the inflammation calm down, Hinch said.

Athletics: The A’s plan to make a decision as soon as Wednesday on whether RHP Trevor Cahill will need a stint on the DL, which seems likely given his Achilles injury is not improving. Melvin expects RHP Chris Bassitt would return from Triple-A Nashville to replace Cahill in the rotation. ”If we do this, he deserves another chance,” Melvin said. … LHP Brett Anderson is scheduled for his first bullpen session Wednesday as he works back from a strained shoulder that landed him on the DL on May 19.

UP NEXT

Astros: RHP Gerrit Cole (7-1, 2.16 ERA) totaled 21 strikeouts to just four earned runs allowed in his first two starts against the A’s this season.

Ivan Rabb gets an opportunity to show his impressive late-season form to his hometown team on Friday night when the Memphis Grizzlies host the Sacramento Kings in Memphis, Tenn.

The game matches teams jockeying for position in the NBA Draft Lottery. Memphis (21-57) is still in the running for the worst record in the league and Sacramento (25-54) could finish with the fourth-worst mark.

Both teams have experienced signs of encouragement.

Memphis beat Portland in its most recent home game before losing three straight to Western Conference playoff contenders (Utah, Portland and New Orleans) on a just completed trip.

Rabb, the 35th pick of last June’s draft, played his best ball of the season on the trip, taking full advantage of an average of 21.3 minutes per game.

The Sacramento native averaged 8.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in the three road losses, posting a season high in rebounds (13) against the Trail Blazers and points (16) against the Pelicans.

Rabb has taken an unusual approach to the Grizzlies’ constant losing. He has focused on how the team has been faring just when he’s in the game.

He totaled a respectable minus-7 plus/minus in games on the trip that the Grizzlies lost by a total of 55 points.

Little has gone right for the Grizzlies this season. They’ve lost seven of their last nine games.

But facing Sacramento and Detroit in their final two home games at least gives them a chance to send their fans into the offseason with a small dose of satisfaction.

Likewise, the Kings are experiencing a run of games against teams outside the playoff picture, which has given them a better chance to compete.

Sacramento opened a four-game trip with an 84-83 win over the Los Angeles Lakers and a 97-94 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Kings coach Dave Joerger believes the organization is learning things about their young players even in games others would label meaningless.

“We had a fighting chance there at the end,” he said of the loss at Phoenix. “That was a good experience for these guys to be in.”

Sacramento finishes the season against San Antonio and Houston.

A trip to Memphis means a homecoming for Kings veterans Zach Randolph and Vince Carter, although Randolph has battled an illness this month and is unlikely to play.

Randolph, a centerpiece to a seven-year run of Grizzlies postseason appearances that will end this season [url=http://www.authenticsgreenbaypackers.com/cheap-j_mon-moore-jersey]J'Mon Moore Color Rush Jersey[/url] , enjoyed a warm welcome back when Sacramento visited Memphis in January. He didn’t have a particularly good game (four points, six rebounds) in a 106-88 loss.

Carter, who played the last three seasons for the Grizzlies, had 15 points, all on 3-pointers, in that game. He contributed seven points to Tuesday’s loss at Phoenix.